The Tardy Student

“See, we was rockin’, really,” he explained,
“The band was excellent: guitar, bass, drums,
Electric piano, and this guy that hums
Deep, then falsetto. There were five guys chained
To five girls, dancin’ crazy. Then it rained,
See, and the doors slid open, and ten bums
Blow in and yell at us. Then this cop comes.”
The lad’s enthusiasm was unfeigned.

“Unfortunately, here,” I said to him,
“For reasons much too obvious to mention,
Excuses don’t get graded by invention;
The view we take of this is rather dim,
So tardy students stay here, in the gym,
One extra hour. Right now. You’re on detention.”